Six Acts

The Six Acts consisted of six pieces of legislation adopted by the British Parliament in December 1819 in response to the Peterloo massacre. The legislation restricted the freedoms of speech and assembly and other civil liberties, increased taaxes on newspapers and fines for seditious libel, expanded the right of police to search private homes, and provided for the speedy trial and harsh punishment of offenders against public order. The laws were passed under the tutelage of Henry Addington and his Tory Party allies, and the laws were not repealed until 1824.